Close for Christmas
by leapoffaith-13
Summary: Her phone, which was laying on Aaron's part of the bed, buzzed. I'm closer you than you think.


_A/N:_ Hello readers! I hope you and yours have a WONDERFUL Christmas with family and friends. I hope you also enjoy reading this, enough to leave me a review or PM saying how much you do! Jen and Aaron are slowly becoming my favorite people and I hope to write more of them soon!

A/N2: I don't own Jen, Aaron, Henry or Jack. Nor do I own Criminal Minds. It has also been brought to my attention I'll be dead before I ever make enough money to buy the rights. So, phoo.

ChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmas

 ** _The snow's coming down, I'm watching it fall, Lots of people around, Baby please come home._**

Sure, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau-Hotchner knew her husband's job, but it's not the same with him around. It's the first Christmas as husband and wife for them and he was called on special assignment 10 days ago.

Jennifer is thankful that she has a roof over her head, friends – no wait, co-workers - willing to spend time with her, and the joy of spending Christmases for the rest of her life with her amazing blended family.

She looks around from her spot on the couch. JJ sits Indian style, her legs curled under her, on the brown leather couch. Her family watches 'The Little Drummer Boy' in the living room.

Jackson Bradshaw "Jack" Hotchner, her husband, Aaron's, son, is sitting next to her son, Henry William LaMontagne. Jack, now 12, has a light in his eyes, as Henry, 8, looks up to his older step-brother and hangs onto his every word.

A shrill sound rings out from JJ's phone - its Aaron texting her.

 _Be home soon. But don't know how soon. Local PD slow._

Her hand clutches her chest and she wills back tears. It's Christmas Eve and he's not going to be home until tomorrow at the earliest. Internally she cursed Mat Cruz, who named Aaron to the team, for his expertise in prosecution. She feels a warm hand on her knee.

Jack.

He knows. He's been through this hundreds of times; dad missing birthdays, holidays, and special class events. Jack could fool the whole family, but he just knows that despite all the Joy and happiness in his dad's life, there's something missing.

Without warning, the couch slides slightly. Henry joins his mother on the couch, and cuddles into her side. Eyes still on the television. She plants a kiss on his blonde head and then lays a hand over Jack's.

 ** _The church bells in town, All ringing in song, Full of happy sounds, Baby please come home_**

After the first text from Aaron, she puts the phone on vibrate. Her heart clenches as it does just that – vibrates – and she looks at the message. Henry cranes his neck slightly to see what Aaron's texting his mother and Jack looks up at the scene, waiting for a response from JJ's emotions.

 _Hope you're having a nice time. Miss you three terribly._

JJ smiles at the thought of her husband spending the most joyful day of the year in some po-dunk town with their police department.

Motioning for Jack to join them on the couch, she hits the camera button and flips the phone around. JJ snaps a quick selfie – JJ looking at Jack who is just barely in the picture, Henry's infectious smile shining through as he watches his mother and Jack's interaction.

Inserting the picture into the text, she sends him a message.

 _We are. We miss you more. – JJ, Jack, H._

And some cute little kiss face emoji.

The kids turn their attention back to the television screen to finish watching the movie. It's almost rolling credits and according to the guide on their cable, 'Holiday Inn' with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire is on next.

Another vibration signals an incoming message from Aaron.

 _This is my Christmas._

The text is matter-of-factly but doesn't explain much, and Jack is looking at the message when another vibration happens and it's a picture of a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. A tree with very little branches some tinsel thrown over it.

JJ chuckles at the sight. It was a great comparison to the Hotchner Christmas tree in their living room – nearly 8 feet tall, decorated in all white lights, handmade and homemade Jack and Henry ornaments, red garland and a few strings of Jack's handmade popcorn garland as well as a bright angel, aptly named Haley, atop the tree.

 ** _They're singing "Deck The Halls", But it's not like Christmas at all, I remember when you were here, And all the fun we had last year._**

Nothing from Aaron comes through during the the 'Holiday Inn' movie. Henry is starting to fall asleep on his mother's shoulder and Jack is bouncing because Santa comes tonight.

"PJ's boys, let's go." JJ said leaving her phone behind turning off the television and light in the room. "Dad's not coming home tonight, Santa's coming, we need to be sleeping." After making sure two carrots are out for Rudolph alongside two homemade sugar cookies and a glass of milk, Jack grabs Henry's hand and practically drags him up the stairs. JJ putters downstairs, giving the kids time to say their prayers together, brush their teeth and change into their night clothes.

"Maybe Santa will bring Mister Aaron," Henry says innocently. She can hear Jack explaining to Henry that Santa can't bring Aaron because then he'd have to backtrack and some kids wouldn't have Christmas then and that wouldn't be fair.

Her son defends his mother, as always, when he says, "but it's not fair that mommy doesn't have Mister Aaron here. I have you, Jack attack." A tear slides down JJ's face and she doesn't hide it.

Composing herself, she sulks up the stairs, reaching Jack's bedroom first.

With a knock and a small 'come in' from the almost-teenager, she walks into his Captain America room and sees Jack against his headboard plowing through 'A Separate Peace' by John Knowles.

"Good night dear Jack," JJ heads over and hugs him tightly. The pain of not having Aaron around is numbed in Jack – it's been like that for years.

She reminds him he has until she's done with Henry and then she'll be back to flip out his light. He nods and goes back to his book.

Padding to the end of the hall, where Henry's room is, and the 9-year-old is snuggled up under covers, hugging his teddy bear dressed in a cop outfit tightly. Jennifer runs her hand through his blonde hair and whispers 'I love you,' in her son's ear.

As soon as she flips the light out, she hears back in a quiet voice, 'I love you too momma.' Her heart breaks. For all that both boys have been through in their short lives, their undivided love still gives JJ (and she muses, Aaron, too) hope for the future.

Deciding Jack deserves a few extra pages of his book, she finds her way to her and Aaron's room. With a sigh, she goes into the closet and finds herself an oversized FBI sweater of Aarons and yoga pants, to which she switches. She gave up on being beautiful and dressed up for any moment a long time ago.

Grabbing the two sacks, one red, embroidered in green with 'Jackson' and one white, with red embroidered 'HWL' she trudged downstairs. Going out to her white Kia Sorento, in two trips, Jennifer grabbed the four bags of wrapped presents, in the trunk, she brought home from the office today.

Agreeing she needed the workout, she ran upstairs, said a true goodnight to Jack and switched his light before jogging back downstairs to the task at hand.

 _I love you like crazy_ is the text message waiting for her when she looks at her phone again. She pours herself a glass of Chardonnay, puts on Christmas on the radio, and sorts the bags of gifts. Presents in Santa and reindeer wrapping fill Henry's bag. Somehow, Penelope found Captain America Christmas wrapping paper and those presents fill Jack's bag. A few snowflake presents are strewn around the tree – those are for Aaron and JJ.

 _I wish you were here,_ she texts Aaron back and sends him a picture of the dark room lit up by the lights on the tree and the presents under it. _Looks like Mr. Claus was here instead._

As soon as she sends the text she wipes her eyes to stop the tears. They knew the job when they got married; this marriage was made out of love but also out of understanding. He goes away a lot, she goes away a lot, they'd be lucky to get 10 hours in a week with their children. But this stings more, she muses, because the team was on stand down the month of December – after a particularly hard and back-to-back-to-back case year. But then Cruz called Aaron and informed him he was part of a expert team going to find a killer who has been on the hunt for almost a year.

"Damn you Mat," she said wincing. Satisfied she sulked enough, she hung the four red stockings, Penelope had made them on the mantle of the faux fireplace Morgan had erected next to the tree.

 ** _Pretty lights on the tree, I'm watching them shine, You should be here with me, Baby please come home._**

She texted Dave to confirm plans for the morning – he was coming over with Mudgie and Strauss' three children to celebrate.

A quick call to her mother in Pennsylvania and Jen put crumbs from two sugar cookies on a plate and half of a carrot next to it. A note, pre-written by Agent Anderson as Santa, reminds them to behave, be nice to each other and listen to their parents.

Locking the door, and shutting off the radio and all source of light except for the tree, she found her way upstairs. The news had signed off and a concert by a local choir was being replayed.

Her phone, which was laying on Aaron's part of the bed buzzed.

 _I'm closer you than you think_

Jennifer blinked in disbelief; he couldn't be, could he?

 ** _They're singing "Deck The Halls," Not like Christmas at all, I remember when you were here, And all the fun we had last year._**

The clock had struck midnight and the doorbell rang out. Jen sighed as the noise woke the kids up from the bed.

"Santa!" Henry yelped as he ran, literally, into Jack.

A miserable Jack just glared that Hotchner stare into Henry. "It's like midnight, Santa hasn't been here yet." The doorbell rang again. JJ met the two boys in the hallway upstairs and she turned on the hall light.

Jack trudges down the stairs and opens the foyer light.

"DADDY!" The 12-year-old screams as he opens the door and Aaron barely has time to register his son is launching himself into his arms.

Finally coming in the house, Henry hugs Aaron's legs latching himself to Aaron. JJ watches, with tears falling, the scene play in front of her. Aaron waves his hand through Jack's hair messing it up.

"See Jack," Henry said as he looked around the corner at the tree, "Santa was here and he brought dad home with him."

 ** _Oh if there was a way, I'd hold back these tears, Oh but it's Christmas day_**

"How? What?" Jennifer can't even speak, she's speechless and she's happy, and thrilled and loved. She can't believe what he's seeing right now.

"Merry Christm..." Aaron doesn't even finish the sentence because Jennifer flies down the two stairs and throws himself in the strong arms where she knows she belongs.

"I love you! I love you!" he keeps telling her. "I couldn't miss this." He whispers into her ear as the boys look at their toys.

"I love you too." Jen smiling lovingly and resting her head on Aaron's broad chest. Inhaling, she smells that all too familiar scent.

"Wait," Aaron breaks the moment, "did he just?" They finally catch up to Jack and Henry.

"Mom! Dad! Can we open them?" Henry asks innocently as if saying 'dad' to Aaron was entirely natural. Jen tells them to pick one thing a piece.

Jack picks a rectangular box which laid on top where as Henry is halfway in his sack of presents and picks out a smaller box.

"Henry?" Jack motions for his brother to go first. A smile spread across the 9-year-old's face as he opened a Magic Penny Magnet Kit.

"Cooooool," he said, "Uncle Spense will love playing with me!" The boy's excitement was palpable. "Jack?"

He opened a Captain America action figure signed by Chris Evans.

"Holy snap," Jack exclaimed. "It's signed by Captain America himself!"

"I hope you appreciated this surpr-" Aaron tried saying, but he couldn't finish his sentence because Jennifer's lips laid gently on his.

"We have to thank, Pen," she mumbled into his kiss. "For Jack's gift." He nodded and told the boys they had to go back to bed. The gifts would still be around in the morning.

 ** _Oh comin' home, Oh babe, You know I need you, Oh comin' home_**

" _Best present ever_ _"_ Jennifer said following the boys upstairs, her hand in Aarons, leading him up the stairs to their bedroom.


End file.
